That none would be lost

The God who Provides

Introduction: Miracle recorded 4 times: Today we will continue in the Book of Luke and look at the Miracle of the Feeding of the 5000. The feeding of the 5000 is the only miracle Jesus preformed that is recorded in each of the four gospels. That is probably why its one of the most well known miracles that Jesus preformed. Since it is recorded in all four gospels it only makes sense to examine the information from them all to get a clearer picture of what happened. I have included each of them in your handout to make it easier on you as we transition back and forth between them.

The Question: Today I hope to answer a question that most of us ask themselves at some point about God: Both believers and non-believers. Does God really care? This is a pretty big question isn’t it? Does God really care about you. Is He paying attention to your life. Does He know your struggles. And If He knows what's going on can He do anything about it? And If He can do something will He do anything about it? Is He willing to do so?

I hope to show you today that not only does God see and care for each and everyone of us but we can have faith in Him for everything from the small stuff to the big stuff. God does see, He does care. God is more than willing to meet us in out place of need.

Luke 9:10–17.

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand 10 On their return the apostles told him all that they had done. And he took them and withdrew apart to a town called Bethsaida. 11 When the crowds learned it, they followed him, and he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing. 12 Now the day began to wear away, and the twelve came and said to him, “Send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions, for we are here in a desolate place.” 13 But he said to them, “You give them something to eat.” They said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.” 14 For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” 15 And they did so, and had them all sit down. 16 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. 17 And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.

Mark 6:30–44

30 The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. 33 Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. 35 And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. 36 Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” 37 But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” 38 And he said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” 39 Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. 41 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. 42 And they all ate and were satisfied. 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. 44 And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.

John 6:1–15.

6 After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. 3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. 14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” 15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

Matthew 14:13-21

13 Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15 Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” 16 But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” 17 They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” 18 And he said, “Bring them here to me.” 19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Jesus withdrew and still welcomed the crowds… Remember this journey that Jesus took with His apostles was to get away. Scripture says Jesus “withdrew apart”. This wasn't meant to be a time to minister to the masses it was meant to be more a private time for Him and His closest followers. Jesus has taken His apostles away for a time to rest, and learn.

Mark 31 And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves.

Your Savior was busy, tired and hungry… I want you to think about this. Jesus and His disciples were so busy they couldn't even get a good meal. And in order to find some peace and quiet, they had to get in a boat and travel across the lake. They were busy, tired and hungry. This could be most of us at the end of any hard week.

Mark 33 Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them

They still found Him… Even after getting in a boat to get away for some peace and quit the crowds found Him. Think about that. Not a few close friends, even a few extended relatives. Crowds of hurting and needy people. They were going from town to announcing where Jesus was going to be as they went. 5000 men are recorded eating the bread but the woman and children are not numbered. I have seen estimates ranging from 2000 woman and children to 5000. That means anywhere from 7-10 thousands people showed up. Some of them beat Him there before He got out of the boat. At least one large group shows up after He has been there for awhile. People just kept coming.

Would you be excited to receive so many people? How receptive would you or I be in that situation. Would we welcome throngs of people with open arms and a pure heart? I love people an there are still times every single week I go through some level of people fatigue and just need to get away and reset. Give myself time to introspect and process everything I have done said or even thought. Many times Jesus didn’t get that luxury. And yet Jesus still welcomed the crowds. 

Why? What drove Him to respond to the people in this way?

Mark 6:34 “he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.”

Jesus had compassion on the hurting, broken and lost… Jesus saw how far from their created value they were all living and was not indifferent. He wasn't disgusted or angry. He was compassionate. He was moved by love. He could see in each of them the truth of who the Father created them to be, and how trapped they were by their sins and this fallen cursed world. Jesus was moved by their suffering.

Luke 9:11 “he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing.

Jesus was moved to act… Not only was he compassionate, he was moved to do something about it. He healed those that needed it and preached the Kingdom of God that would set them free from their afflictions. 

Mark 6:35 “And when it grew late...

He took the whole day meeting their needs… He continued to minister to the people throughout the day. Jesus probably could have threw a little bread at them in the beginning and then try to dip out. But He didn’t leave to benefit Himself or the disciples, instead He stayed to bless those that had sought Him out.

John 6:3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples.

Jesus the Teacher… Last week I explained that Jesus was a Rabbi, a teacher of the Law. Earlier I revealed that part of Jesus’s reason for leaving was to teach the apostles. It was Jewish for a Rabbi to sit down amongst His students once He was ready to teach. So Here we see Jesus sitting on top of the mountain amongst His Apostles teaching and He asks Phillip a question.

John6:5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?”

Jesus is using His questions to teach… Now remember Jesus is in Rabbi mode at this time. This was not a conversational question like hey, wonder what the weather will be like tomorrow. This was a question with a point. Jesus doesn't ask questions He does not already know the answer too.

Do you remember what the apostles had just come back from doing ?... They had been ministering by themselves without any money or food completely relying on God to provide for them. And God had delivered. They came back to Jesus and reported their success. God had cared for their needs as well as the needs of those they ministered to. At some level this was an opportunity for Phillip and the others to demonstrate what should have been a new level of faith in God.

What was Phillips response?

John 6:7“Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.

Phillips doubt… In defense to Phillip I think my response would have been similar. I think from on top of that hill as I looked across 7 to 10,000 people I wouldn't have imagined any way to feed them all. Remember that a day's wage was 1 denarius. Phillips essentially says I could work for 200 days and still couldn't feed all these people. 

Impossible request… This was clearly beyond any of the apostles abilities. It wasn't a possibility. What I've learned about God is that when He asked the impossible, it's because He's going to make it possible. 

Mark 6:38 “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.”

What does Jesus tell them to do?… Go check and see what you have. See what I have already given you. What you have dismissed as not enough but God has divinely set aside for this very purpose. Church dont you know that those two fish and five loaves were there for a purpose that day. It wasn’t by accident and it wasn’t by happen stance that that boy was there with them. It was God provision so that His will would be accomplished.

John 6:8-9 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?”

Andrews answer… How about Andrew's response? Can you hear the sarcasm in his question back to Jesus. It’s almost like saying, Are you out of your mind? It's funny to me to think of how Andrew must have felt like he was eating crow when Jesus later performed His miracle and fed everyone present. I bet Andrew felt pretty foolish. 

Focused on themselves… Phillip, Andrew. The disciples. They were focused on themselves when they answered Jesus's question.  

Man is rarely the answer to his problems, but Jesus Christ almost always is. The answer to the problem was standing right there in front of them, but all they could see was themselves and what they lacked. Not the great abundance of God, nut their great need. 

Mark 6:39 39 Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. 41 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all.

Jesus essentially tells them to take a seat and eat. Does this remind you of another verse? It very strongly reminds me of Pslam 23, which I spoke on last week. How the apostles didn't take a staff on thier journey because they were following the leading of their Shepherd Jesus Christ.

Psalm 23 “A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Jesus’s mindset… Do you think Jesus had this mindset of providing for His sheep as He broke bread and distributed it amongst the people. I do. There, on a hillside, Jesus was giving bread to the lost sheep of Israel. Jesus had prepared the table just as the word of God promised.

Mark 6:42 And they all ate and were satisfied.

So many people and no one was left hungry… There's a lesson right there. That Jesus Christ is the one who fulfills and satisfies the hungry soul. That in him we are fully satisfied. 

Jesus had slipped away eat and rest… But what's He do? Our hungry and tired savior sets His needs aside to give the crowds rest. To feed them. To bring them the good news of peace. Is that not love for another?

And as those cheesy new product T.V adds used to say But wait there's more...

John 6:12 12 And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.”

Church there was a deep message here. Gather up every single broken piece, that not even one would be lost. Because I won't forget. I won't fail. I won't lose or leave even one single broken person who seeks the Kingdom of God.  

John 13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten.

Twelve baskets of fragments is a significant number… In fact there are several numbers in this story that are very significant. Lets look at a scripture in Mark.

A Meaning behind meanings

Mark 8:14-21 14 Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” 16 And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. 17 And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” 20 “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” 21 And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”

Jesus tells the disciples they missed something He really wanted them to know.

He tells them what He did had a deeper meaning. He specifically brings up the numbers involved. If Jesus tells the disciples these numbers were important and He wanted them to understand what they represented, we should strive to understand their deeper meaning as well.

For years I have thought that the 2 loaves and 5 fish must be significant but I didn’t know how. I didn’t know how because I’m not Jewish. The meaning is a cultural thing that we in the western world are not familiar with.

Jesus was teaching the disciples using Gematria. Remember that Jesus was speaking to His Jewish students, as a Rabbi, a teacher of the Law of God. His students were the first audience for His this message, non Jewish Americans 2000 years later. Jesus used Gematria to teach His disciples during the miracles of feeding the 5 thousand and the 4 thousand.

Gematria is a practice that is still being used by the Jewish community today. In short Gematria is the practice of connecting certain ideas or Hebrew letters to numbers. I have included a very short Gematria chart for todays message below.

Gematria 

1 = God  

2 = the 2 tablets.  (Ten commandments) 

3 = patriarchs, unity, Trinity 

4 = Earth 

5 = 5 Books of Moses (Torah) 

6 =sinful mankind, Incompletion 

7 =Completion, Wholeness 

12 = Twelve tribes of Israel. 

1000 = Gods Whole community

Lets examine again Jesus’s miracle of feeding the 5000 through the lens of Gematria.

Jesus take two fish, the Ten Commandments

And 5 loaves of bread, The Torah, the first 5 books of the bible written by Moses.

Together the fish (2) and the loaves (5) equal 7, Completeness or wholeness.

Jesus takes completeness and wholeness, blesses it in prayer to God, and then gives it to His 12 disciples.

His 12 disciples, the Nation of Isreal, receive completeness and and wholeness from the hands of Jesus

From their hands they give the 5000 men, 1000 x5 Gods whole community forever, the completeness and wholeness of Jesus Christ

So what was Jesus saying. Lets put that in simpler terms. Jesus fulfilled the Law and the commandments with His perfect and sinless life. The Law of God was complete in Him. Jesus then shared that completeness with the Jewish nation who would in turn share it with all Gods people. And don't miss this, not even one of Gods people would be missed. There were 12 basketsful of bread leftover. Because Christ is more than enough for us all.

Closing

John gives us a detail about the time frame of this miracle that the others writers leave out.

John 6:4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.

Jesus Christ preformed the miracle of feeding the 5000 right before the Passover feasts. And when He did it what did He do? He broke the bread He then shared with every person present. The bread during communion represents what? Jesus body broken for us. What was Jesus telling them. I’m you Passover now. The wrath of God will not destroy you because I have given myself that you might live.

Not only can God act, but in His love, He has already acted. He knows you brokenness. He has planned for it for a long time. He didn’t die to save a sinner. He died to redeem lost sons and daughters, that none may be lost.

One little boy with 2 loaves and 5 fish

12 disciples

1 Moses

I Abraham

I Sinless Savior

A little is a lot with God. Bring all that you are, and all that you have to Him and see what He would do.